A Little Taste of Heaven
by Golden Lunar Eclipse
Summary: In a moment of pure happiness, Danny dies and goes to Heaven, literally. He finds himself in paradise, but there is only one problem. He isn't dead yet. Will he be able to return to where he belongs? DxS pairing inside, too. Now complete!
1. The Pearly Gates

GLE– I've never done anything like this before. The idea sort of popped into my mind while I was thinking about what ghosts were and how they fit into the concepts of afterlife that people have. Of course, everyone believes in something different, so this is just one take on the whole issue. I'm hoping to give you guys a laugh, and maybe endeavor further to contemplate life itself – how valuable it is. As always, I do not own _Danny Phantom_.

**WARNING**: I _really_ don't intend to offend anyone. I consider this my fun little concept, but if you object to any strange or stretched portrayal of religion, please save your hassle and don't read this story. Furthermore, I speak of "God" and "Heaven" but I do not necessarily mean for them to belong to any particular religion – just my made up one that has a God and a Heaven (lots of religions have Gods, many with different names – I've decided to go with the generic English term "God"). Also, I refer to Heaven as "The Pearly Gates" to give variety to the name and because I consider it a funny term. This all being said, I hope I haven't scared too many of you off! So, just one more time for clarification: THIS STORY HAS RELIGIOUS CONTENT, BUT IT IS **NOT** A RELIGIOUS STORY, just some fun including a character named "God" and a realm called "Heaven".

-(-)-

A Little Taste of Heaven

Chapter 1: The Pearly Gates

The trio walked along the sidewalk away from the movie theater they had just exited. They were in high spirits discussing the latest movie they saw, _Attack of the Living Dead Teenagers_, some horror flick with a cheesy plotline and lots of zombies.

"And how _great_ was that one-eyed dude?" said Tucker.

"Oh! Or the kid that kept screaming for his life?" Sam added.

"Yah! It was hilarious!" Danny agreed. But he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Danny?" Sam asked. "Wha— oh," she said in a flat tone.

Tucker joined in by looking in the same direction and caught on. "Paulina," he stated simply.

The girl they gawked at didn't even notice them, as if they were all invisible to her. She passed them by on the opposite side of the street, chatting animatedly with her friend, Star, as they headed to the mall.

"She's like a goddess…" Danny mumbled to her retreating form.

"Oh please," Sam muttered.

Far away from the scene, an observer stood, tweaking a knob on his staff. He smiled to himself as he watched through a looking-glass at Danny and his friends.

"Tick, tock, goes the clock," Clockwork whispered mysteriously.

"_Why_ do you _always_ go ga-ga over her, Danny?" Sam argued. "She is _so_ not worth the attention!"

"What are you talking about? She's gorgeous! Any guy would be lucky if she even glanced at them! Of course she deserves the attention!"

"Ugh! Never mind!" Sam uttered, defeated. "Maybe when you grow up—"

"Huh?" Danny gasped, seeing his breath form in front of his face.

"Ghost time?" asked Tucker, a little relieved that the fighting between his two best friends would be interrupted.

"Cover me guys," Danny ordered, pulling Sam and Tucker together as he backed against a wall. "I'm goin' ghost!"

A moment later, Danny Phantom flew into the air ready to take on the fiend. A screech reached his ears and he twisted around. Two ectopusses had taken hold of Paulina and were dangling her dangerously high above the ground. Danny dove towards them, shouting to the girl, "Don't worry, Paulina! I'm coming!"

The ectopusses saw him and became anxious, they started to fly away, dropping Paulina. The girl screamed as she fell and Danny caught her in one arm, using his other to shoot a blast at the ghosts and then to capture them in his handy thermos. He held Paulina close as he floated her safely back to the ground.

"You saved me!" she squealed in delight. And before he realized what was happening, she planted a big kiss on his mouth.

Dazed, Danny wavered as a smug smile clouded his face. "…this is the happiest moment of my life…" he murmured to himself.

Suddenly, a force seemed to be pulling him upwards and away from Paulina, away from the ground below, away from Amity Park altogether. He blinked his eyes several times before he accepted what he saw in front of them. All around him, people with white robes and wings fluttered, and an enormous gold encrusted gate stood on a bed of clouds.

"What the…?"

"Welcome!" greeted a cheery voice. "Welcome to the Pearly Gates, Danny!"


	2. Rest in Peace

GLE - Hi guys, sorry for the long wait on an update. I've been going insane with work. 3 more weeks left till exams! Anyways, I wanted to tell you, since I forgot to last chapter, this story is actually pretty short - only 3 chapters long (and yes, as my sister points out, short chapters as well. What can I say? I'm better at one-shots and poems, but I thought this would be fun, so there it is!). Anyways, I appreciate the reviews and I hope this next chapter satisfies you! Happy reading!

-(-)-

A Little Taste of Heaven

Chapter 2: Rest in Peace

"_What did you say?_" Danny exclaimed in panic.

"Welcome to Heaven, Danny!"

"How do you know…?"

"Your name? Why, God knows everyone's name, and I've been appointed welcome-duty, so I know every newbie's name too!" the angel said proudly. "Oh, but I suppose you don't know _my_ name! I'm Herbert! Herbert the Welcome-Angel! Pleased to meet you at last, Danny! It's not often we get a ghost to come to Heaven!"

"But I… b-but… but I…" Danny mouthed before he could digest that last bit of information.

"Come on! We don't want to fall behind schedule, now, do we?" asked Herbert, grabbing Danny's arm and dragging him along. Danny noticed dimly the movement on his back where two tiny angel wings had grown out of his black jumpsuit. He floated along the clouds as Herbert brought him through the Gates and into a city of angels. Danny couldn't hide his astonishment at what he saw and gaped open-mouthed at everything before his eyes. Herbert laughed and said, "Yah, this is what it's all about, Danny! It's paradise here! Everything you could ever want, need, or hope for at your finger tips! Never thought the afterlife could be this great, eh? Especially since the first part of _your _afterlife you spent as a _ghost_!"

"There must be some mistake," Danny said. "I'm not—"

"Mistake?" cried Herbert. "There's no mistake! We don't make mistakes in Heaven!" Then as an afterthought he added, "Don't think you're good enough to be here? Ah, Danny, Danny, Danny… of course you belong here! There's no boy good as you were! And here you are rewarded with eternal peace and happiness! What better way to exist in afterlife? Oh hey! Here come the Drury brothers! They know all the best places around town! You're really lucky to be greeted by them!"

And the three angels pulled Danny along, this way and that, pointing out places to lounge, places to party, and places to hang out with fellow angels. Danny kept trying to tell them of the obvious and huge mistake that had been made, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise. Finally he shouted out, "Enough!" and they all quieted down to stare at him.

"I'm _NOT_ _dead yet_!" Danny told them.

After a short silence in which they stared blankly at him, the three angels burst out into laughter.

"Ah, always the way with ghosts… takes them longer than the others to accept…" Herbert acknowledged.

"NO! I'm being serious!" Danny confirmed in frustration. "I'm only half a ghost – the other half of me is human! And last time I checked, it was fully functional and breathing! Here, let me show you…"

And he tried to transform back into Danny Fenton. But he couldn't do it. It was like he was stuck as Danny Phantom, and his panic levels kicked up another notch. '_Why isn't it working?'_ he thought to himself. '_Why can't I change back?'_

The angels who had been waiting patiently for Danny to do something, decided to speak at his pained look.

"Don't fret over it, dude," consoled Evan Drury. "You're in _Paradise_ now! Let us take all your troubles away!"

And Danny, with his mind blank in confusion, followed them around now without struggle.

"Hey James!" said Evan to his brother. "Why don't we show him the Rise?"

"The Rise?" repeated Danny with mild curiosity.

"Yah! It's the best spot to be in the morning," confirmed Herbert eagerly. "It's this big cloud cliff that overlooks the entire city! And it's _so _gorgeous to see the sun at dawn from up there!"

"Oh! And later we could show you the Set!" added James. "And we'll be just in time for the sun to set too!"

Danny faked a smile and tagged along. They had to fly up a bit to reach the top of the Rise, (Danny beginning to get used to the little flapping motion, instead of his usual flying powers, which didn't seem to be working properly), but it was worth it. The Drury brothers were right about the view, and Danny could imagine that it would be even more amazing in the morning. But inside him was total turmoil. His mind was having an argument with itself, and it was quite an unsettling discussion. Part of him considered the possibility that he really did die, even though he could remember no such thing – especially since the last thing he fought were the ectopusses, which were really no threat at all. But perhaps, he contemplated, he had died a while ago when the accident that changed him into a ghost occurred. Maybe the whole 'halfa' thing was a dream or a mirage created in his mind to deal with his death. But, if that were the case, he wouldn't be Danny Phantom right now, floating around in his black jumpsuit. Danny Phantom wouldn't exist. He'd just be Danny Fenton, kid who was now an angel in Heaven.

The Welcome-Angels brought him around the clouds. He saw fountains of light, entered gardens that were filled with lovely smells, heard a beautiful song from a choir, noticed women and men angels having fun, and saw one particularly breath-taking view of Earth below. It really was a paradise, but he wasn't enjoying any of it. He was too wrapped up with questions, and no answer seemed to come.

"We're really glad a ghost like you could join us," confided Evan, breaking Danny away from his thoughts. "It's not often that ghosts find fulfillment and finally leave Earth."

"Most of them seem stuck down there forever – sad and incomplete, searching forever for something they usually never get," continued Herbert. "It's so wonderful to hear one say that they are happy! Then they _finally_ come here! Of course, it's even better if they came here directly instead of lingering as ghosts, haunting and howling in their misery."

"Heh," Danny thought to himself. _They don't really know what ghosts are like. I guess they have the same perception that humans do. Ghosts themselves, however… well, there was so much _more_ to them…_

"Ok, Danny! So, you all set?" asked James.

"We're just going to double check with you one last time before we let you wander off on your own," explained Herbert. "So, you've let go of everyone you love?"

"_What_?" the question took Danny completely by surprise.

"You know, you've come to terms with your death, and you're ready to leave your Earthly life behind for good."

_But I'm not dead_, was Danny's immediate thoughts, followed by a voice only slightly quieter, _well, maybe you are, and you'd better take the time now to let go of your loved ones so that you can begin to enjoy this paradise_.

"Go ahead!" encouraged Evan.

_Mom, Dad, you guys were the best parents I could've ever asked for, even with all your little quirks_, Danny began in his mind. _And Jazz… even though you annoyed me at times, you were the greatest older sister that any brother would be lucky to have. You always had my best interests at heart, and you always looked out for me. I appreciated that…_

_Tucker, what can I say? You were the coolest buddy ever, even with your geeky addiction to electronics! I guess I'm gonna miss your jokes and playing video games, but I'm happy we gotta be best friends when I was alive…_

Danny paused a moment before continuing. There was only one person left to say goodbye to who he held dear in his heart. _Sam… I…I'm gonna… I…Sam…_


	3. Life

GLE - wow, sorry for the wait again for an update! I totally meant to do it on Monday, but I just ended up getting busy and forgetting! Thanks for the feedback guys; you're great! Well, now without further ado, the final chapter! Enjoy!

-(-)-

A Little Taste of Heaven

Chapter 3: Life

"I can't say goodbye to Sam!" exclaimed Danny. "There's something I haven't told her! And for another thing, _I'm not dead_, really, I'm NOT dead!"

Herbert sighed, "We've been through this already, Danny. You are dead, you're just in denial. As for saying goodbye to Sam, now's your chance! All you have to do is think the things you wanted to tell her and come to terms with letting her go!"

"So… can I go back and say them to her?"

"No, Danny, you're already gone. You have to let yourself know that, and it helps if you feel like it, let her go… it's too late to go back… and you were there even longer than normal after death, as a ghost…"

But Danny suddenly filled with determination and dove through the clouds.

"WAIT! Danny! Where are you going?" shouted Herbert.

The angels chased after Danny, and before Danny reached the bottom layer of cloud, they caught him and held him back.

"I'm half a ghost and half a human!" stated Danny.

"Don't be silly, ghost-human hybrids don't exist!" said Evan.

"I wish that I could return!" cried Danny in desperation.

And he tried again to transform. This time it worked. He felt the flash of light pass through him, and the jumpsuit change into his normal clothes. He saw his bangs change from white to black in an instant. He was Danny Fenton again. He smirked in triumph!

"I'm _not_ dead!" he announced happily, more to himself than to anyone else. All of his confusion about his apparent death was evaporating.

The angels stared at him, silent and with wide eyes.

"Oops…" mumbled James.

Danny began to swoop downwards and broke the bottom layer of cloud. His wings started to fade and then he was falling.

The angels quickly recovered from their momentary bewilderment to prevent the boy from smashing into the ground below, and they helped him gently land. Danny had shut his eyes when the world underneath him was spinning treacherously closer, but now he opened them and looked around.

He was sitting on the sidewalk, not far from the movie theatre and the place where he'd saved Paulina.

"_Danny!_" the yell caught his attention. "Oh Danny! We were so worried about you! Where did you go?"

It was Sam.

"Yah, man. Paulina and Star have been long gone and no sign of Danny Phantom or anything!" declared Tucker.

Without replying, Danny stood up from his sitting position and pulled the two into a hug.

"_I'm alive_!"

"What?"

"Of course you're alive, Danny," affirmed Sam, puzzled by his statement.

"It's a long story," Danny responded at last. "But I did learn a couple of things! For one, Heaven is going to be _awesome_!"

Tucker and Sam were surprised and concerned by this statement.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" questioned Tucker.

"Never better!" answered Danny cheerily. "But there's one thing I've gotta do before we do anything else."

"And that would be…?" began Sam, but then Danny cut her off.

Tucker stepped back in shock as Danny took Sam into his arms and kissed her deeply.

When they broke apart, Sam asked, breathless and blushing, "W-what was that for?"

"I really care about you, Sam, and I'm not ready to let you go," replied Danny seriously, and he kissed her again.

Far above the whole situation, two beings were watching.

"Well, that worked out better than expected," said Clockwork. "Of course, we knew it would."

"Yes," agreed God. "Now I just have to take care of the confused Welcome-Angels and everything will be running smoothly again!"

The two chuckled.

"You've been doing a good job of watching over the Ghost Zone, I must say," added God.

"Barely," laughed Clockwork. "But I do try!"

"Yes, and watching over the ghost child, too."

"I'm glad we gave him a chance to gain perception on life."

"Me too, Clockwork. Me too."

-(-)-

The End

-)Golden Lunar Eclipse(-

Ok... so it turned out a bit fluffy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoyed your stay!


End file.
